The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-02-10
4 STRANGE DOCUMENT.

n Letter from General Grant to His Chief
of Stan, Afterwards His Secretary OF
War.
The New York Sun publishes tho fol-
lowing letter, written by the late General
John \. Euwlins, and addressed to the
late General I. S. Grant, dated 'Beforc
Nickshurg, Miss, June 9th, 1868, one
o'clock, Il. N.
"Dcar General: The great solcitudc l
feel for the safety of the army leads me
to mention that which / had hoped never
again to do--tlIc subject of your drink
ing. This may surprise you, for + may
be, (and J. trust ann, doing you an in
justice iy an unfOundcd suspicion, but
ltan error it better be on the side Of his
cOUntrY'S safety than in fear Of offending
friend, ] have heard that DR.. McMIil-
Ian, al General Sherman'S Il few DAYS
ago, induced you, notwithstanding Your
pledge 10 me, to take q glass OF wine,
and to-day, when ] found box Of wine
Ill front Of your tent and proposed to
move it, which L did, I was told YOU had
forbid It's being taken away, for you had
intended to keep it until you had entered
Elckshurg, that you might have it for
your friends; and tonight, when you
should because of the condition Of your
health, II nothing else, have been in bed,
find you just where the wine bottle
had been cmptiCd, i'll company with
those who drink and urge you to do
likewise, and the lack Of your usual
prOmptnCSs Of decision and clcarness in
expressing yourself in writing tended to
confirm my suspicious.
"IOu can have full control of your
appetite and let drinking alone. Had
you not pledged nc the sincerity Of your
honor carly last March that you would
drink no more during the war, and kept
that pledge during your recent cam
paign, you would not to-day have stood
first in the worlds history us success
full military leader.
"Your only salvation depends upon
your strict adherence to that pledge.
You cannot succeed in any other way.
As have before stated, / may bo wrong
III my suspicious, but if one te3s that
which leads him to suppose Il sentinel is
falling asleep on his post it is his duty TO
arouse him; and il one secs that that
which leads him to fear the general com.
handing great army is being scduccd
to that step which he knows will bring
disgrace upon that general and defeat tC
. his command it fails to sound tie Drop
er note OF warming, the friends, wives
/ and children OF those brave men whose
! lives he permits to remain thus impcriled
will accuse him while he lives, and stand
swift witnesses Of wrath against him in
the day when all shall be Judged.
">Lf my suspicious are uniound2d, let
my friendship for you and my zeal foI
my country be my excuse for this letter;
and if they are correctly founded, and
you determine not to heed tho odmoni-
tiOns and the prayers of this hasty note
by Immediately ccasing to touch single
drop OF any kind of liquor, no matter by
whom asked or under what circum-
stances, let my immediate relief from
duty III this department be the result. [
am, General, your friend,
JOHN A. RAWLINS." ."
The retained copy of this letter was
endorsed by General Rawlins as follows:
"Ihi8 is an exact copy Of letter given
to the person to whom it is addressed at
its date, about four miles from our head
quarters in the rear of Vicksburg. It's
admonltiOnS were needed, and all went
we'll ,loTIN RAvvITNc